Lionel Messi set to snub summer move after Manchester City Champions League ban

Barcelona star Lionel Messi won't leave in the summer (Image: GETTY)

Guillem Balague is confident Lionel Messi won't be leaving Barcelona any time soon.

Lionel Messi has shown “no indication whatsoever” that he will leave Barcelona in the summer, according to Guillem Balague. Messi got into a row with former team-mate and current Barca sporting director Eric Abidal, who blamed the players’ poor performances for former manager Ernesto Valverde’s dismissal.

The club’s all-time leading goalscorer then took to social media and slammed Abidal’s comments as he feel they are tainting the player’s reputation.

The dispute sparked rumours of Manchester City making a move to sign the 32-year-old star in the summer - which now looks highly unlikely as the club has been slapped with a two-season ban from UEFA competitions due to Financial Fair Play breaches.

Balague poured cold water on the speculation by stating that the Argentina international is still happy in Spain as he has built a home in Catalonia where he has his own people around him.

The pundit admits there are still some problems with the club that are mainly down to recruitment with the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho failing to deliver at the Nou Camp despite their record-breaking transfers.

Messi can no longer compete in the same level he did in previous years but the Sky Sports journalist insists he is still highly influential and is in no way keen on leaving.

Balague told Genting Bet: “Messi needs to be surrounded by his own people, in his own environment, he’s made where he lives a little Rosario.

“He just feels at home, he’s got three kids, a wife, so change is not something that goes with him. He needs to be in a place where he thrives.

“The problem is the club, and that’s a little bit the background of his words.

“The club are making so many mistakes in terms of recruitment, they’ve been unlucky with the injuries of Dembele because he hadn’t got injured before, but his big injury now is keeping him out for six months and there is no replacement.

“So it’s fine. You cannot plan ahead thinking, oh, how about if, you know, two or three of our best players get injured. But you have to be ready for it as well.

“Another thing, they have got now 16, 17 professionals training. The rest are youngsters and that’s very difficult to compete.

“Plus, if you accuse, as Abidal said, the players for basically getting rid of the previous manager, it’s normal that a player will react.

“Now the waters have come down a little bit, Messi is a bit tired, he is not as his best physically so he’s drop a little bit deeper.

“He assists but still very influential. And right now, there is no indication whatsoever that he’s leaving this summer, even though he can.”